When i'm bigger
by allyg1990
Summary: One overcast day in Biloxi, Mississippi, a little human girl darts out of the crowd towards Jasper Whitlock. Pretwilight, non-canon first meeting of Alice and Jasper. Please R&R!


_Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Stephenie Meyer does. _

It was an overcast day in Biloxi, Mississippi, but Jasper Hale was taking no chances. Long grey trousers, a blazer and leather gloves covered his alabaster skin, a wide brimmed hat shielding his face from any errant rays of sun. Crimson irises peered out from behind the dark sunglasses perched on the rim of his nose as he inhaled deeply, filtering out the tempting fragrance of human blood in favor of the scent of the vampire he was waiting for.

He was never normally this careless- it was dangerous for him to be this close to humans, especially this many at a time. But it had been Maria's order, one that he would not disobey lightly. He leant back against a tree, watching the parade process, bathing in the excess excitement radiating from the crowd, just waiting.

But then a small figure shot out from the mass of humans, skipping happily towards him. He stiffened; it was a mortal child, a little girl, not much taller than his knees. She pursed her lips, head tilting to the side in confusion, though he wouldn't have needed the action to decipher her feelings.

"Why aren't you joining the parade, mister?" She asked, hands clasped behind her back, knees bent as she swayed from side to side in the way that children often do. He shifted uncomfortably, trying hard not to breathe. She was so lucky that he'd fed mere hours ago. The burning sensation in the back of his throat began to resurface, thirst clawing at his defenses. It would be so easy to snatch her up in his granite arms, whisk her away to somewhere secluded, and-

No. He had a task to accomplish, and the temptation to have a snack would not interfere.

"I'm waiting for a friend." He said curtly, the hint of a long-forgotten southern twang briefly coming through. She chortled softly, standing up straight and dutifully smoothing the crinkles in her orange dress.

"What's your name, mister?" Unconsciously, he slid down into a crouch, still taller than her by a large margin.

"My name is Jasper Whitlock, m'am. And what name would such a pretty little thing like you have?" She giggled, her laugh reminiscent of silver bells, and a smile tugged on the edges of his lips. The last forty years had made him forget how amusing human children could be- they never had time to amuse him before they met their deaths.

"Mary Alice Brandon." She informed him, tilting her head up to grin. "I turned four last week."

_I turned sixty two last month. _He thought silently, never voicing the thought.

But then another human ventured too close, grabbing the little girl by the white sash at the back of her dress.

"Mary Alice! What did you go running off for?" The child turned to the older woman, smiling serenely.

"This is mister Jasper." She told her happily, and the woman turned to him repentantly, embarrassment rolling off of her in waves.

"I'm sorry, sir." She apologized. "Little Mary Alice here has a mind of her own." He grinned up at her, still in a comfortable crouch.

"She was no trouble at all." He assured her, a ripple of calm radiating towards the woman. She relaxed, tugging at the child's hand.

"Come on, sweetheart, we're going to be late." But the little girl stood her ground, a faraway expression on her face as she squinted at him. Then she smiled a knowing smile, wrenching out of her mother's grip to skip towards him once more. And even before he could think, her warm lips pressed briefly against his icy cheek, her scent overpoweringly delicious. He froze, motionless as she ran back towards the crowd.

"I'll be seeing you when I'm bigger!" She hollered, though she could have whispered and he'd have heard her. Then she disappeared into the mass of bodies, leaving his granite fingers to creep up and touch the warm spot on his cheeks. Instinct had abandoned him in that one second, sparing the child's life. What did she mean, that she'd see him again? He prayed that she never would, for her sake. And then he straightened, resuming his careful watch, never once realizing that he'd just met the woman that he would spend the rest of eternity with.


End file.
